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Win 8 has been with us for well over a year now, & if you're used to previous versions of Win then you're going to notice that quite a bit has changed. , Win 8 has seen the biggest change since the leap from Win 3.1 to Win 95. Out goes the Start menu, in comes the new touch-oriented Start screen with new Win 8-style apps & new interface conventions. Even experienced PC users may be left feeling a lil lost. *Win 8: what you'll need to relearn *Win 8.1 review Don't despair, though, help is at hand. We've poked around every part of Win 8, uncovering many of its most critical tips & tricks, so read our guide & you'll soon be equipped to get the most out of Pc's latest release. 1. Open from the lock screen Win 8 coverageWin 8 reviewWin 8 vs Win 7: 8 ways it's discreteWin 8 tablets: what you need to knowMaking sense of the Win 8 versionsAll our Win 8 content Win 8 opens on its lock screen, which looks pretty but displays no clues about what to do next. It's all straightforward, though. Just tap the space bar, spin the mouse wheel or swipe upwards on a touch screen to reveal a regular login screen with the user name you made during installation. Enter your password to begin. 2. Handle basic navigation Win 8's interface is all colourful tiles & touch-friendly apps. & if you're using a tablet then it'll all be straightforward: just swipe left or right to scroll the screen, & tap any tile of interest. On a regular desktop, though, you may alternatively spin the mouse wheel to scroll backwards & forwards. & you can use the keyboard. Press the Home or End keys to leap from 1 end of your Start screen to the other, for instance, then use the cursor keys to select a specific tile, tapping Enter to select it. Press the Win key to return to the Start screen; right-click (or swipe down on) apps you don't need & select Unpin to remove them; & drag & drop the other tiles around to organise them as you like. 3. Group apps The Start screen apps are initially displayed in a random order, but if you'd like a more organised life then it's easy to sort them into custom groups. You may drag Players, Mail, Messaging & Calendar over to the left-hand side, for instance, to form a discrete 'Players' group. Click the 'minus' icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to zoom out & you'll now find you can drag & drop the new group (or any of the others) around as a block. Right-click within the block (while still zoomed out) & you'll be able to give the group a name, which - if you go on to add another 20 or 30 apps to your Start screen - will make it much easier to find the tools you need. Win 8.1 now gives a special Customise mode with much the same functionality. Right-click an empty part of the Start screen, or swipe up, tap Customise, then drag & drop tiles or rename app groups to you need. 4. Use the quick access menu Right-click in the bottom-left corner (or hold down the Win key & press X) for a text-based menu that gives easy access to lots of useful applets & features: Device Manager, Mono Panel, Explorer, the Search dialog & more. Download theWin+X Menu Editor & you'll be able to further customise the list with apps of your own. 5. Find your apps The Win+X menu is useful, but no replace for the old Start menu as it doesn't provide access to your apps. Press Ctrl+Tab, click the arrow button at the bottom left of the Start Screen, or swipe up from the bottom of the screen & a list of your installed apps will appear. If you can't see what you need right now, start typing an app name to search for it. Or, in Win 8.1, click the arrow to the right of "Apps" to sort your apps by date installed, most used, topic or name. 6. Make access easier Get moreThe latest computing news & features from TechRadar If there's an app you use all the time then you don't have to access it via the search system. Pin it to the Start screen & it'll be open at a click. Start by typing part of the name of your app. To access Mono Panel, for instance, type 'Mono'. Right-click the 'Mono Panel' tile on the Apps Search screen, & click 'Pin to Start'. If you're using a touchscreen, press & hold the icon, then flick down & select 'Pin to Start'. Now press the Win key, scroll to the right & you'll see the Mono Panel tile at the far end. Drag & drop this over to the left somewhere if you'd like it more easily accessible, then click the tile to open the desktop along with the Mono Panel window, & press the Win key to return you to the Start screen when you're done. 7. Shut down To shut Win 8 down, just move the mouse cursor to the bottom right corner of the screen, click the Settings icon - or just hold down the Win key & press I - & you'll see a power button. Click this & choose 'Shut Down' or 'Restart'. In Win 8.1, press Win+X, click 'Shut down or sign out' & select the option you need. Some of the tricks open in previous versions of Win still apply. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del, for instance, click the power button in the bottom right-hand corner & you'll be presented with the same 'Shut Down' & 'Restart' options. & if you're on the desktop, press Alt+F4 & you'll be able to choose 'Shut Down', 'Restart', 'Sign Out' or 'Switch User' options.